Skip to content

The Friday Ramble: Movies, taxes, and talking (hopefully)

It’s nasty outside… how about a movie?

It’s been an interesting week to say the least. With this nasty storm coming into town this afternoon, there are hopefully few of us who will try to brave the weather to watch a movie at one of the massive megaplexes that typify the experience in these modern times. There are some that would rather trust Netflix and a digital projector for their movie experiences rather than venture into the automated world out in public. Nora Ephron’s opinion piece in today’s New York Times pretty much sums up why my theater going has been whittled down to almost nothing, though Bets is still more successful than most in terms of getting me to even consider going out there. I still don’t have the Netflix or the digital projector, but I’m beginning to think that after the car gets fixed it may be the next thing to invest in, especially after seeing how the experience in my hometown has become.

I’ll raise you $8,000…

When Governor Riley signs the income tax bill into law, he will give the citizens of Alabama hope that there are some things that probably transcend politics. This bill provides tax relief for Alabama’s poorest citizens, raising the threshold to $12,600. The previous threshold was $4,000, making us the only state that imposed an income tax on persons and families making less than $10,000 in the Union. The only question that comes to mind is “Why did it take so long to get to this point?” The election year pressure thankfully raised the level of awareness to one where it could no longer be taken for granted. Check out today’s Birmingham News article to find out some more information.

The exercise in community linkage continues

It’s come to my attention that this whole issue of civic organizations and junior boards has become a hot issue. I’m thankful to Wade Kwon for his comments on Wade on Birmingham and for the interest that has been shown in the idea for a civic organization roundtable. At this time, I’d like to remind the regulars who have viewed it and tell those that have not that the idea that I submitted was just that, an idea. No one has committed to anything as of yet. My hope is that some of these groups will want to work together to organize a mechanism that allows for groups to communicate with each other, making the delivery of a message much easier.

I would be remiss to not mention two events that I do know about taking place over the weekend. The first is the Hook ‘Em for the House Fishing Tournament, being put on by the Young Leadership Board of the Ronald McDonald House. I’m not sure if you can sign up tomorrow or not. Click here to view the entry form so you can call them and find out.

The Birmingham Jaycees have recently launched a blog site that still has a few pages to complete. However, if you click here, you’ll learn some more about their 2006 Poker Tournament scheduled for tomorrow evening as well as some links to general information about the organization.

I still have to upload the first set of pics from Savannah as well. But I have a feeling the storm is going to keep that from happening. All the more reason to check in tomorrow.

Enjoy the weekend.

Cheers.

Published inThe Rambles